Barbara Venkataraman's Blog: A Trip on the Mobius Strip, page 16
January 14, 2017
The Immense Popularity of the Cozy Mysteries :-)
Check out this wonderful article about the immense popularity of cozy mysteries by Kristen Houghton from The Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristen...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristen...
January 2, 2017
A Smidge of Crazy
Cada cabeza es un mundo is a Spanish saying which translates to: each head is a different world. It also explains why every person has their own unique brand of crazy (mine is trademarked, so hands off). The human brain is a fascinating and complicated thing with many different ways to go on the fritz. For example, if nails on a chalkboard make you cringe or a fork scraping an empty plate makes you squeal, then you can start to grasp what it means to suffer from misophonia, literally, the hatred of sound. People with misophonia don't hate all sounds, just the hateful ones. And those sounds can send them into a rage…
Like you, I'd never heard of misophonia (also known as selective sound sensitivity syndrome) until I learned about it the hard way. Who knew that one little piece of chewing gum could cause so much trouble? Foolishly, I thought that getting gum on your shoe and in your hair were the worst possible scenarios, but I couldn't have been more wrong. One day when I was clothes shopping with a friend while happily chewing (not snapping, popping, or cracking) a piece of gum, she almost took my head off.
"Do you HAVE to chew your gum so loudly?"
"Um…I guess not," I said, taking a few steps back. "Sorry. Hey, are you okay? You seem to be overreacting just a tad." (I couldn't say what I was really thinking: Are you a pod person from Invasion of the Body Snatchers?)
She apologized, but continued to glare at me as if her mouth were independent of her brain, which hated my guts at that moment. It was freaky, to say the least. She had not yet diagnosed herself through the ever-handy internet and therefore couldn't explain her bizarre behavior. It wasn't until months later when she called me, gleeful, to say that she wasn't a head case after all, she had a real syndrome and, even more exciting, other people had it too! Now she could understand why she loathed the sound of people chewing, couldn't stand to watch her mother-in-law fidget with her hands, and wanted to kill people to stop them from making noise. She had found an online community of kindred spirits, tortured souls who couldn't stand the sounds of clicking pens, ticking clocks, clacking keyboards, whispering, whistling, singing (especially bad singing), slurping, yawning, sniffling, snorting, snoring, sneezing, throat-clearing, paper rustling, leaf blowing, corduroy rubbing, change rattling, and dogs licking. Just to name a few.
"That IS exciting," I said, being the supportive friend that I am. "What's the cure?"
"Oh, there isn't one," she said. "Except habituation, training yourself not to mind. If you mix in sounds you enjoy--like waterfalls, or classical music, you can get used to the bad sounds eventually."
"How's it going?" I asked.
"Terrible," she confessed. "I just leave the room when people chew too loudly, before my head starts spinning around like in The Exorcist."
"Smart move," I said.
"Thanks! You know, it's been a while since we got together and I'd love to see you. Want to do lunch?"
I laughed. "Not on your life."
Like you, I'd never heard of misophonia (also known as selective sound sensitivity syndrome) until I learned about it the hard way. Who knew that one little piece of chewing gum could cause so much trouble? Foolishly, I thought that getting gum on your shoe and in your hair were the worst possible scenarios, but I couldn't have been more wrong. One day when I was clothes shopping with a friend while happily chewing (not snapping, popping, or cracking) a piece of gum, she almost took my head off.
"Do you HAVE to chew your gum so loudly?"
"Um…I guess not," I said, taking a few steps back. "Sorry. Hey, are you okay? You seem to be overreacting just a tad." (I couldn't say what I was really thinking: Are you a pod person from Invasion of the Body Snatchers?)
She apologized, but continued to glare at me as if her mouth were independent of her brain, which hated my guts at that moment. It was freaky, to say the least. She had not yet diagnosed herself through the ever-handy internet and therefore couldn't explain her bizarre behavior. It wasn't until months later when she called me, gleeful, to say that she wasn't a head case after all, she had a real syndrome and, even more exciting, other people had it too! Now she could understand why she loathed the sound of people chewing, couldn't stand to watch her mother-in-law fidget with her hands, and wanted to kill people to stop them from making noise. She had found an online community of kindred spirits, tortured souls who couldn't stand the sounds of clicking pens, ticking clocks, clacking keyboards, whispering, whistling, singing (especially bad singing), slurping, yawning, sniffling, snorting, snoring, sneezing, throat-clearing, paper rustling, leaf blowing, corduroy rubbing, change rattling, and dogs licking. Just to name a few.
"That IS exciting," I said, being the supportive friend that I am. "What's the cure?"
"Oh, there isn't one," she said. "Except habituation, training yourself not to mind. If you mix in sounds you enjoy--like waterfalls, or classical music, you can get used to the bad sounds eventually."
"How's it going?" I asked.
"Terrible," she confessed. "I just leave the room when people chew too loudly, before my head starts spinning around like in The Exorcist."
"Smart move," I said.
"Thanks! You know, it's been a while since we got together and I'd love to see you. Want to do lunch?"
I laughed. "Not on your life."
December 29, 2016
Jamie Quinn Series Gets a Shout-out! :-)
A happy end-of-the-year surprise for yours truly--a shout-out for my Jamie Quinn series on the blog : http://gbmysteries.blogspot.com!
Check out their latest post, "It's a Mystery", to see if you've read their favorite books of 2016. I found some great recommendations. Thanks, Gayle!
Check out their latest post, "It's a Mystery", to see if you've read their favorite books of 2016. I found some great recommendations. Thanks, Gayle!
December 28, 2016
"Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person" is free on Kindle through 1/1/17. :-)
Care for a spot of tea with your grammar? Download my humorous grammar book, "Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person", free on Kindle through January 1st. :-)
Fear not, Gentle Writer, Mrs. Grammar Person is here and she has the answers to all of the questions you never thought to ask. As a dedicated and serious grammarian, she will do what it takes to be entertaining and enlightening, but never vulgar or coarse. Heavens, no! Where are her smelling salts? Warm and witty, Mrs. G.P. makes grammar interesting with rhyming, wishful thinking, story-telling and a champagne toast. You are cordially invited to join her for a spot of tea!
https://www.amazon.com/Teatime-Gramma...
Fear not, Gentle Writer, Mrs. Grammar Person is here and she has the answers to all of the questions you never thought to ask. As a dedicated and serious grammarian, she will do what it takes to be entertaining and enlightening, but never vulgar or coarse. Heavens, no! Where are her smelling salts? Warm and witty, Mrs. G.P. makes grammar interesting with rhyming, wishful thinking, story-telling and a champagne toast. You are cordially invited to join her for a spot of tea!
https://www.amazon.com/Teatime-Gramma...
December 27, 2016
YOU THINK YOU KNOW A PERSON...
This essay is excerpted from my (award-winning!) book, "Quirky Essays for Quirky People"
_______________________________________________________
YOU THINK YOU KNOW A PERSON...
I just read something disturbing but, if I tell you about it, then we'll both be disturbed. Remember--YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Did you know that bacteria living in our bodies outnumber human cells 10 to 1?
10 to 1! That means, for each human cell in your body, there are ten microorganisms, which may include bacteria, fungi and archaea. I don't even know what archaea are--and I've read the definition! The only part I understood was that they produce methane, which stinks, both literally and metaphorically. In fact, the number of different bacteria species living on your skin alone could approach five hundred. And that's not just your skin we're talking about, it's mine too! And fungi! Do we have mushrooms growing out of our ears, or what?
And the news gets worse: each of us hosts thousands of types of bacteria with different body sites that have their own distinctive communities. For example, your belly button (an area I assume you never think about, unless you are one to contemplate your navel) can host any number of 1,400 strains of bacteria that call it home.
So, it turns out you can live in a gated community, but you can't be one. You have no say in the matter: you are a microbiome, an aggregate of microorganisms that live in your skin, your eyes, your mouth, your gut, and other places which I can't talk about in polite society.
Before you completely freak out, let me tell you that some of these organisms are beneficial, like gut bacteria that aid in digestion, and others that help maintain our health in different ways. The most unsettling news is that we have no idea what the majority of them do. But, have no fear, we (well, not me, of course, it's the 200 researchers in the Human Microbiome Project) are studying them in an effort to figure out what the little buggers are up to.
Of course, since they outnumber us 10 to 1, it seems that we ARE the little buggers!
*************************************************************************
Here is a news update on what's happening in the world of the microbiome--short answer--more than you ever dreamed!
http://www.salon.com/2016/12/25/disru...
_______________________________________________________
YOU THINK YOU KNOW A PERSON...
I just read something disturbing but, if I tell you about it, then we'll both be disturbed. Remember--YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Did you know that bacteria living in our bodies outnumber human cells 10 to 1?
10 to 1! That means, for each human cell in your body, there are ten microorganisms, which may include bacteria, fungi and archaea. I don't even know what archaea are--and I've read the definition! The only part I understood was that they produce methane, which stinks, both literally and metaphorically. In fact, the number of different bacteria species living on your skin alone could approach five hundred. And that's not just your skin we're talking about, it's mine too! And fungi! Do we have mushrooms growing out of our ears, or what?
And the news gets worse: each of us hosts thousands of types of bacteria with different body sites that have their own distinctive communities. For example, your belly button (an area I assume you never think about, unless you are one to contemplate your navel) can host any number of 1,400 strains of bacteria that call it home.
So, it turns out you can live in a gated community, but you can't be one. You have no say in the matter: you are a microbiome, an aggregate of microorganisms that live in your skin, your eyes, your mouth, your gut, and other places which I can't talk about in polite society.
Before you completely freak out, let me tell you that some of these organisms are beneficial, like gut bacteria that aid in digestion, and others that help maintain our health in different ways. The most unsettling news is that we have no idea what the majority of them do. But, have no fear, we (well, not me, of course, it's the 200 researchers in the Human Microbiome Project) are studying them in an effort to figure out what the little buggers are up to.
Of course, since they outnumber us 10 to 1, it seems that we ARE the little buggers!
*************************************************************************
Here is a news update on what's happening in the world of the microbiome--short answer--more than you ever dreamed!
http://www.salon.com/2016/12/25/disru...
December 19, 2016
Check out the new blog, "Oscar Buzzed"
Check out the new blog, "Oscar Buzzed", and enjoy the latest news and commentary about Oscar-worthy movies and the actors who appear in them. Every year, a select few are nominated to win the highest honors for film-making. And every year, we cinephiles-on-a-budget must decide what's worth it and what's not. This is your guide to the award season films.
https://academyawards.tumblr.com/
https://academyawards.tumblr.com/
December 6, 2016
"Engaged in Danger" free on Kindle thru 12/10! :-)
Hey everyone!
My 4th Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery, "Engaged in Danger", is free on Kindle right now through 12/10, so why don't you check it out? It's free! Lol
Blurb:
Finally, life is good for reluctant family law attorney, Jamie Quinn--her father may get his visa soon, her boyfriend is the bomb, and her law practice is growing like crazy--but when she agrees to take on a high-profile divorce case, everything falls apart. What looked like an opportunity to work with her friend Grace and make some serious bucks has turned into a deadly game, one that could destroy their friendship and tear their town apart. Why couldn't Jamie just leave well enough alone?
Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Engaged-Danger...
My 4th Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery, "Engaged in Danger", is free on Kindle right now through 12/10, so why don't you check it out? It's free! Lol
Blurb:
Finally, life is good for reluctant family law attorney, Jamie Quinn--her father may get his visa soon, her boyfriend is the bomb, and her law practice is growing like crazy--but when she agrees to take on a high-profile divorce case, everything falls apart. What looked like an opportunity to work with her friend Grace and make some serious bucks has turned into a deadly game, one that could destroy their friendship and tear their town apart. Why couldn't Jamie just leave well enough alone?
Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Engaged-Danger...
December 3, 2016
Cutest baby wombat ever! :-)
As you may know, I have a fondness for wombats--even if they are the reason my poor protagonist Jamie Quinn can't be with her boyfriend, Kip.
Check out this short video of the cutest baby wombat ever, you'll see why. :-)
https://youtu.be/-OOiUy6iXio
Check out this short video of the cutest baby wombat ever, you'll see why. :-)
https://youtu.be/-OOiUy6iXio
November 29, 2016
Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery Collection free through 12/3 :-)
If you're looking for something to read, my Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery Collection is free on Amazon Kindle through 12/3. Check it out!
https://www.amazon.com/Jamie-Quinn-My...
https://www.amazon.com/Jamie-Quinn-My...
November 22, 2016
Book of the Day! :-)
Very excited that "Engaged in Danger", my 4th Jamie Quinn Mystery has been featured as The Book of the Day.
Check it out here: http://bookoftheday.org/engaged-in-da...
Check it out here: http://bookoftheday.org/engaged-in-da...
A Trip on the Mobius Strip
Whenever I see something funny or weird that you can relate to, I will share it. Anything that will make you smile, or shake your head, or wiggle your ears. I'd like to see that, by the way...
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